Improvement in folding tables



H. LOTH.

Folding Tables, &c. NO. .38,94. A PatentedMay13,1873.

/mfawl L .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENEY'LOTH, 0E PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN FOLDING TABLIIS, &c.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 138,904, dated May 13, 1873; application filed March 25, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY LOTH, of the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented Improvements in Folding Tables and Stools, and in Hinges for the same, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to enable the several parts of a folding table 0r stool to be permanently and securely hinged together; and I attain this object by connecting the whole of the legs of the table or stool together by means of two hinges, A and A', secured to the upper and lower edges of the said legs, as shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing, instead of employing separate leaf-hinges, as usual, adapted to the sides of the legs; and I prefer the use of a special compound hinge, illustrated in the perspective view, Fig. 2, of

the accompanying drawing, and which Will befully described hereafter.

It has been usual, heretofore, to connect the several parts of afolding table or stool together, by means of ordinary leaf-hinges, of which a number are required, in order to obtain the required strength, the arrangement being clumsy, and expensive, and the joints imperfect and apt to work loose, owing to the employment of independent kdisconnected hinges, and to the positions in which it is necessary to place them. These objections I have overcome by the employment of compound hinges, using, by preference, hinges constructed and applied as I will now proceed to describe.

The hinge A, illustrated in the perspective view, Fig. 2, is intended for a table or stool having three legs, B, B1, and BZ, beveled at their inner edges, a, (see plan view, Fig. 3,) so as to t snugly together when extended, as shown in the plan view, Fig. 4. The hinge consists of three sections, b, c, and d, each of the outermost of which has a single circular projection, h, at one end, while the intermediate section c has two circular projections, h1 h2, connected to the projections h of the outermost sections by pins or rivets, i, in the man ner plainly shown in Fig. 2, so as to turn freely thereon. The three sections of this hinge are secured by screws, or otherwise, to the upper edges of the three legs of the table, as plainly shown in the plan views, and a precisely similar hinge, A', is secured to the under edges of the said legs, as shown in Fig. 1, the two compound hinges thus serving to secure the Whole of the legs together, and enabling them, at the same time, to be freely turned, one upon the other, to eitherof the two positions shown in the drawing, the connections being of great strength and not -liable to get out of order, as, owing to their positions, they are subjected to comparatively little strain. The hinge can be adapted to a four-legged table by -providin g it with another intermediate section, e, precisely similar to the section c, as shown in Fig. 5; and, in like manner, by forming the hinge with five sections, it can be used for connecting the parts of a table or stool having five legs. As a further improvement, and to avoid multiplication of parts, I propose to hinge -a leaf, K, to the section d of the hinge, and to connect the folding-top of the table or stool to this leaf. (See Figs. 2, 3, and 4.) y

I make no claim here to the compound hinge, above described, as it will form the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent; neither do I limit myself to this form of hinge; but

I claim- A-folding table or other article, the Whole of the legs of which are connected together by two hinges adapted to the upper and lower edges of the said legs, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofl I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two sub- Witnesses WM. A. STEEL, J. SHEEBORNE SINGER.- 

